Waterlogging at Lohgad village of Sarsa district in Haryana http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2212/stories/20050617000507700.htm

It is imperative to ensure an effective surface and sub-surface drainage system in North-west Bharatam. Revival of River Sarasvati in Haryana between Mustafabad and Murtzapur is a first good step in this direction.

Bhakra dam and Indian Canals on the Indus River Tributaries Courtesy: Bhakra Beas Management Board http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/SRR/Volume13/sridhar.html

Agroha mound (Sarasvati civilization)

Rakhigarhi pot (Sarasvati civilization)

About Bhorsaidan

About 8 miles (13 kilometres) to the west of Thanesar towards Pehowa lies the Bhurirava Tank. Tradition associates the Place with treacherous murder of Bhurirava by Arjuna during the Mahabharata war. Bhurisrava was son of Somadaatta, Raja of Varanasi.The village is named Bhor after him. This small village is situated on an ancient mound. The houses are built of old large size bricks of 12 3/4"x9 1/2"x2".

http://kurukshetra.nic.in/tourist/tourism.htm#bhor

A few archaeological sites which have yielded various objects of interest and a distinctive class of pottery known as the Painted Grey Ware (PGW) are Raja Karan Ka Tila, Asthipura, Bhor Saidan, Bhagpura and Daulatpur.

Rakhigarhi (Hissar district) 29.17N - 76.07E

Today, the 5000 year old history of our civilization is on the threshold of being rewritten. Recent excavations at Rakhi Garhi in Hissar district of Haryana may push the history of the civilization back by over a thousand years. This site could again bring to front, questions about the Vedic Civilization and its relationship to the Indus Valley civilization. Archaeologists and historians are already excited about the findings from Rakhigarhi - a large site on the banks of, what is now believed to be, the dried bed of Saraswati river. Senior archaeologists consider this to be no ordinary Harappan site. They say the findings have already started showing new civilization contours.

Banawali (Fatehbad district) 29.36N - 75.25E

Banawali is a Pre Harappan and Harappan site. At Banawali, evidence of ploughed fields has been found. Large quantity of barley and evidence of growing of sesame and mustard have also been found. The use of wooden plough for ploughing the fields were prevalent. The mound in Banawali, 15 kms from Fatehbad, reveals a fortified town (BC 2500 – 1700).

Kunal (Fatehbad district) 29.38N - 75.43E

Kunal seems to be a Pre Harappan site. Two silver crowns presumably worn by the King and queen along with gold and silver jewellery has been found here in an earthen jar. This is the first time that a regal crown has been found in the subcontinent. This site brings to light that the Harappans went through three stages of development; from pit houses to regular rectangular and square dwellings above the surface.

Agroha (Hissar district)

The Agroha mound goes back to the 3rd century BC and is where Harappan coins were discovered apart from stone sculptures, terracotta seals, iron and copper implements, shells and a host of other things.

Mittathal (Bhiwani district) 28.52N - 76.11E

At this site, three phases of Harappan culture have been found.

Naurangabad (Bhiwani district)

Remains of a town about 2500 year old have been found here.

Rakhigarhi is about to rewrite the 5000 year old history of our civilization. Recent excavations at Rakhigarhi in Hissar district of Haryana may push the history of the civilization back by over a thousand years. It could change the commonly held view about the Indus Valley civilization, as Rakhigarhi is situated on the bank of the now dry, Saraswati river. Archaeologists and historians are excited about the findings from Rakhigarhi, the largest Indus Valley site after Mohenjodaro. Archaeologists consider this to be no ordinary Harappan site and say it is the most important of all the archaeological sites of India. The unearthed clues may yield answers to many unanswered questions. Rakhigarhi findings have already started showing new civilization contours. The area and dimensions of the site are far wider than assessed by archaeologist Raymond and Bridget Allchin and J M Kenyer. It is 224 hectares, the largest in the country.

In size, dimensions strategic location and unique significance of the settlement, Rakhi Garhi matches Harappa and Mohenjodaro at every level. Three layers of Early, Mature and Late phases of Indus Valley civilization have been found at Rakhi Garhi. What has so far been found indicates that Rakhi Garhi settlement witnessed all the three phases.

The site has trick deposits of ‘Hakra Ware’ (typical of settlements dating back before the early phases of Indus Valley). ‘Early and ‘Mature’ Harappan artifacts. The solid presence of the Hakra Ware culture raises the important question: "Did the Indus civilization come later than it is recorded?" The Hakra and the Early phases are separated by more than 500-600 years and the Hakra people are considered to be the earliest Indus inhabitants. Although the carbon-14 dating results are awaited, based on the thick layers of Hakra Ware at Rakhi Garhi, it is said that the site may date back to about 2500 BC to 3000 BC. This pushes the Indus Valley civilization history by a thousand years or more. While this site came to light in 1963 excavations at Rakhigarhi started only in 1997.

Had excavations started 70 years earlier, when Harappa and Mohenjodaro were uncovered, the story would have been different. Fossils indicate that the Harappan man reared cattle. The findings are startling. Rakhi Garhi was settled on the banks of a river Dhrishdwati, which was a tributary of the river Saraswati. Copper fishing hooks and woven nets found at the site affirms the river’s existence nearby. It is thought that the people living in this city traded with other people using this river for navigation.

The site’s antiquities, drainage system and signs of small-scale industry are in continuity with other Indus sites. All this adds one more dimension to the whole debate on Indus civilization. Many feel that since this site is situated on the Saraswati river, it is more likely connected to the Vedic civilization. All this only add to the enigma called Indus civilization, rich in facts, richer still in speculation. What stands out from the churning debate is the fact that much more perhaps still remains shrouded in the folds of the past centuries. The real and very important part played by Haryana in India's history is yet to be fully understood.

Digging so far reveals a well planned city with 1.92 m wide roads. Pits surrounded by walls have been found, which are thought to be sacrificial pits or for some religious ceremonies. Which shows fire was used extensively in their religious ceremonies. There are brick lined drains to handle sullage from the houses. Among other things that have been found are, terracotta statues, weights, bronze artifacts, combs, needles and terracotta seals. A bronze vessel has been found which is decorated with gold and silver. A gold foundry with about 3000 unpolished semi-precious stones has been found. Many tools used for polishing these stones and a furnace were found there. A burial site has been found with 11 skeletons with their heads in the north direction. Near the heads of these skeletons, utensils for everyday use are kept. The three female skeletons have shell bangles on their left wrists. Near one female skeleton, a gold armlet has been fond. In addition semi precious stones have been found lying near the head, showing that they were part of some sort of necklace.

Banawali Mound, previously called Vanawali, lies 14 km, north-west of Fatehbad on the right bank of the Rangoi Nala, 29° 37" 5' north latitude and 75° 23",6' cast longitude. This ancient mound spread over an area of one sq km, rose to a height of about 10 meters due to successive settlements on the earlier rubble.

The archaeological excavations done here by the Department of Archaeology, Haryana have revealed a well constructed fort town of the Harappan period overlying an extensive proto-urban settlement of the pre-Harappan culture. If the discovered ancient relics are pieced together, a fairly coherent picture emerges and it can be conjured up that if Kalibangan was a metropolitan town over the lower middle valley of the Saraswati, Banawali was possibly one over the upper middle course of that river.

The pre-Harappan age (2800 BC - 2300 BC) and Harappan era (2300 BC - 1800 BC) combined are called the Indus valley civilization, while the preceding Vedic age (4000 BC - 2800 BC) can be called the Saraswati valley civilization.

The era of pre-Harappan period (2703 BC - 2300 BC) is characterized by the typical pottery, settlement pattern and architecture. A wide range of to those found at Kalibangan in Rajasthan, illustrates the developed ceramic art of the settlers here. Banawali seems to have been abandoned by 1900 BC with the drying up of Saraswati.

A rich variety of shapes and designs speaks highly of the level of their socioeconomic existence and their aesthetic taste. The houses were built roughly along cardinal directions and points to definite town planning. Constructed usually of mould-made bricks, we find, occasionally, structures made of kiln-baked bricks. The civilization seems to have been conversant with the technology of copper smelting. Among personal ornaments, beads of gold, semi-precious stones, terracotta and steatite and bangles of clay, shell, faience and copper have been. recovered during the course of excavation. The overall picture presents a fair degree of advancement - achieved by the pre-Harappans by the middle of the - 3rd millennia B.C.

While the pre-Harappan culture was still young, a new set of people occupied Banawali. They soon built a well planned and fortified township in the classical chessboard pattern. The broad arterial streets, running from north to south, have been found straight and uninterrupted, whereas those, running from east to west, were usually narrow and staggered. This planning, perhaps protected the, town from the blistering winds of the west and. severe monsoon, rains of the south-west.

The town seems to be divided in two sub-joined fortified areas, one separated from the other by a 6-7 meter thick wall running centrally across the mound from north to south. A narrow opening, provided through the defense wall in the center of the mound, was, perhaps meant for communication between the two parts of the city blocks, of which the better fortified western side was dominated by the elite, while the commoners and business communities lived in the eastern wing. This gate was guarded by a massive, square bastion.

Planned mud-brick houses, with several rooms, a kitchen, a toilet, etc. are found built on either side. of the roads and lanes. Their sanitary arrangements depended on the use of sanitary pottery jars which served as washbasins, as also for soakage purposes. Except in a few places, which demanded constant use of water, structures were usually made of sun baked bricks meticulously molded into various sizes. Numerous household items like ovens, hearths, tandoors and blades made of chert and other stones, and sophisticated, ceramics known for their fanciful shapes have been excavated. The principal kinds of pottery recovered included vases, fruit stands, chalice cups' handled clips, 'S-shaped jars' perforated jars, cooking handis, beakers, basins, rooters, etc:

Among painted motifs, peacocks, Pipal and banana leaves, trees, deer, 'stars, fish, flowers, intersecting circles, checker-board patterns and honeycomb patterns are of special -interest. It is noteworthy that the pre-Indus ceramic tradition, continues here throughout, whereas at Kalibangan, it dies out, half-way through. The Harappan seals recovered here depict a rhinoceros, ibex, wild goat, unicorn, - a composite animal with a tiger's body and horns and the cubical weights and gamesman type of weights made of stones and ivory or bone reveal a great degree of precision and superb craftsmanship of the Harappan artists.

Gold, copper and bronze pieces found here indicate that they had a profound knowledge of metallurgy. Among ornaments have been found beads of gold, copper, agate, carnelian, Lapis lazuli, faience, shell, bone and clay, bangles of copper, faience shell and terracotta, and pipal leaf shaped ear rings of faience.

Certain figurines of mother Goddess and the like suggest that the Harappans were very fond of decorating their persons with elaborate headgear, ear rings, necklaces, garlands, etc. Copper and bronze were used for weapons and tools as also for ornaments and items included arrows, spearheads, razor blades, chisels, fish hooks, beads, rings, bangles, antimony rods, wires and hair pins. Iron, however, was not known to them. Terracotta figurines of bulls, buffaloes, deer, dogs, rhinoceros and. birds are not only the evidence of their folk art tradition, but also throw welcome light on the fauna of those bygone days.

This site is one of most important archaeological sites of Haryana. It has attracted the attention of Indian archaeologists and in importance, it rivals Kotdljl and Chanhuo (Sind-Pakistan). Kalibangan (Rajasthan), Surkotda and Lothal (Gujarat), RakhiGarhi (district Hissar) and Mittathal (Bhiwani district).

Kunal is a small 'rural' site, an archaeological 'village' as compared to 'towns' like Lothal and Kalibangan and 'cities' like Rakhigarhi. Its on the bank of the dried Saraswati in the Fatehbad district of Haryana. The artifacts unearthed in Kunal have not been seen before at a pre-Harappan site. The artifacts include seals, terracotta cakes, script and natural motif. Kunal pottery depicts Harappan letters. Natural motif with both monochrome and bio chrome have been found. This implies a transition from pre-Harappan culture to the full mature Harappan culture.

Some archaeologists even think that the pre-Harappan culture of Kunal and the Vedic culture are one and the same. They give the example of triangle shaped terracotta cakes which they say are the symbol of fertility in Rig Veda. A painting with a horse and pipal motif, found in Kunal, are both associated with the Vedic civilization. Further Kunal is situated on the banks of the dried Saraswati river which is mentioned in the Rig Veda.

Kunal has three distinctive phases of the pre-Harappan culture. In the earliest people lived in pits. In the second, molded mud bricks were used to line the dwellings. In the third phase bricks were used to make square and rectangular houses. Two silver crowns have also been found in Kunal, one a little smaller than the other. They may have been used by the king or an elected headman and his consort.

Other jewellery found there include two tiaras, an armlet, a necklace, copper bangles, six disc-shaped gold beads and more than 10,000 beads of semi-precious stones like carnelian, agate, steatite and lapis lazuli.

Kunal has added to the growing number of archaeological sites in Haryana.

Agroha is situated in Hissar district of Haryana. In it lies buried the remains of the capital of the Agroha State consisting of 18 state units. The residents of this states were known as Yodhya and Agraya. Writings on the coins that have been excavated from the ancient site read as 'Yodhyanam Bahu Dhanya Kanam','Yodhya Ganasya Jaya', 'Yodhyanam Jaimantra Shalinam'. According to Dr. Satyaketu Vidyalankar the ancient Agroha town existed some 100 years before the Kushan dynasty. The Agroha State was renowned for its prosperity. However over time it could not stand the foreign invasions of Greeks, Yavanas and Hunas, who invaded north India disintegrating various kingdoms in Punjab.

The disintegrated Agroha led to the migration of the Agroha residents to other parts of India like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Malwa, however they got a common name Aggarwals which means AGROHA-WALE. It is apparent from the excavations that below the mounds existed a big, well planned and progressive town. The excavation was restarted in the year 1938-39, though this could not be carried on for long due to World War II, but it provided major input about Agroha's existence. In 1978-79 the Archaeological Department of Haryana Government began excavation work under the guidance and supervision of Mr. J. S. Khatri and Mr. Acharya.

The Agroha mound now has the Agroha Temple Complex on one side and the Sheela Mata Temple on the other. The Agroha Medical College faces it across the road. Some of the materials collected from the excavated site:

Coins: Large number of coins have been found at the excavated site. The coins are predominantly of silver & bronze in different shapes and sizes. The script and signs on the coins depict that they belong to different periods. The bronze coins have "Agadke, Agach, Janpads" in prakrit language inscribed on them. A coin dated 200 BD called die struck or counter struck has been found besides Roman, Kushana, Yodhaya and Gupta dynasty coins.

Seals: The seals that have been found at Agroha have been inscribed with words like "Pitradutt", "Sadhu Vridhasya", "Shamkar Malasya", "Madrsya" etc.

Artifacts: From the excavation site many statutes made of stone and sand have been unearthed. Masks, Terracotta Animals and Toys have been found. Utensils belonging to 2nd century BC in black, brown and red polish have also been discovered.

Naurangabad Mound is near the village of Naurangabad, about 10 km from the Bhiwani town in Bhiwani district, Haryana. This mound came to the notice of the government in the early eighties when children playing there found old coins after rains washed away the top soil. Some of these coins were thought to be of Kushan and Gupta periods and are displayed in a museum in Jhajjar Gurukul. In 1985, this mound was taken over by the government and handed over to the Archaeological Department. The total area of the mound taken over by the government is 58 acres. The mound is now maintained by a sub-office of the Archaeological Department situated in Hissar.

Digging was started in February, 2001 and continued for three months. It was discontinued due to the onset of summer and it is set to resume in October, 2001.

In this preliminary digging, artifacts up to 2500 years old have been found. Among the artifacts found are coins, tools, sieves, toys, statues and pots. According to the archeologists the presence of coins, coin moulds, statues and design of the houses, suggests that a town existed here sometimes in the Kushan, Gupta and the Youdheya period till 300 BC. During the Youdheya period, the coins had seals of religious figures and these coins were cast in moulds.

Remains of houses made of mud bricks as well as baked bricks have been found. The walls are 18 inches to 24 inches thick. The floor is lined with baked bricks and the size of the bricks is approximately 18" by 9" by 3". People from the nearby village have been using these bricks for constructing their own houses. This practice was stopped after the mound was reserved in 1985.

Saraswati River is believed to have drained the north and northwest region of India, including Haryana and Punjab, in ancient times, supporting a large number of settlements. There are numerous references to the river Saraswati in the ancient Indian literature of the Vedic and post-Vedic period. Rig Veda, the most ancient of the four Vedas, describes Saraswati as a mighty river with many individually recognized tributaries. The sacred book calls Saraswati as the seventh river of the Sindhu-Saraswati river system, hence the name 'Saptsindhu' for the region bounded by rivers Saraswati in the east and Sindhu (Indus) in the west. Rig Veda hymns also describe life and times of the people residing in the Saraswati river valley. Rig Veda describes Saraswati as Ambitamé, the best of the mothers; Naditamé, the best of the rivers; and Devitamé, the best of the goddesses. Ancient sites in Kunal and Banawali, in district Fatehbad, has been found on the banks of the dried river bed of Saraswati.

Saraswati is believed to have originated from the Har-ki-Dun glacier in west Garhwal (Uttaranchal). It flowed parallel to the river Yamuna for some distance and later joined it, proceeding south as the Vedic Saraswati. The seasonal rivers and rivulets, including Ghaggar, joined Saraswati as it followed the course of the present river through Punjab and Haryana. River Sutluj, the Vedic Shatadru, joined the river Saraswati as a tributary at Shatrana, approximately 25 km south of Patiala. Saraswati then followed the course of Ghaggar through Rajasthan, Gujarat and Hakra in Bhawalpur before emptying into the Rann of Kutch via Nara in Sindh province, running parallel to the Indus River. It has been established that the river Saraswati, carrying the waters of three perennial and numerous seasonal rivers, was a mighty river in the Vedic times.

As of today, a part of the river exists as Ghaggar in Haryana; the rest of it has disappeared in the fringes of the desert of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sindh. The perennial rivers Sutluj and Yamuna were once the tributaries of the Saraswati. It is believed that subsequently some tectonic movements may have forced the Sutluj and Yamuna to change course and hence Saraswati dried up in a period spread over a few hundred years possibly between 2000 and 1500 BC. It is probable that desertification of Rajasthan would have taken place at that time. The present dried bed of the Ghaggar was thus part of a major river, anciently known as Saraswati. Analysis of satellite imagery supports the above hypothesis regarding the course of the 'lost' Saraswati.

http://www.haryana-online.com/Districts/Kurukshetra.htm

1. Bhorsaidan, an escavation site around 30kms from Kurukshetra2. H.H. Shrimat Sadyojat Shankarashram Swamiji arrives at Bhorsaidan3. Heading to the steep gorge4. Fine dust - River Sarasvati's silt containing mica and other minerals are found at Bhor Saidan. Presence of these minerals provides added cofirmation that a Himalayan river (Vedic Sarasvati) flowed here in the distant past.

Discovery of the ancient channel by and pictures sent by Rajesh Purohit, Curator, Krishna Museum.

Archaeologists ‘find’ Saraswati

KOLKATA, Feb. 3, 2007 — A group of archaeologists, led by Mr Rajesh Purohit, claim to have discovered the riverbed of the lost Saraswati at a site on Pehowa Road in Haryana near Bhor Saidan village, about 13 km from Kurukshetra. Delivering the first Lalit Mohan Mukherjee Vijnana Bhikshyu commemorative lecture, organised by the Bengal Mass Education Society at Academy of Fine Arts in the city today, the curator of Srikrishna Museum at Kurukshetra said that the site was located on a mound and painted pottery associated with the Mahabharata age has been unearthed there. Bhor Saidan village was named after Kaurava hero Bhurisrava, son of Somadutta, he informed. SNS

Kolkata, Feb 5: Just when northern India is facing water scarcity, the revival of the 'mythical river' Saraswati will bring hope to thousands living in arid zones of Rajasthan, Harayana and Gujarat.

Curator of Sri Krishna Museum in Kurushketra Rajesh Purohit has announced that he had discovered the river bed of the lost Saraswati river at Bhor Saidan village, 13 km from Kurushetra on the Pehowa road.

Mr Purohit, who was present here recently to attend an annual lecture organised by the Bengal Mass Education Society, also added that a large number of satellite images of the paleo-channels (buried channels) and old alluvial soils have been mapped which distinctly proves the existence of channels below the archaeological sites of Harayana.

Mr Purohit's recent findings imply that there was a possibility of constructing wells in the central Saraswati basin to augment the water resources in the region.

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation(ONGC) was also interested in the exploration following the discovery of mica particles from an artesian well in Kalayat, along the river track.

ONGC General Manager M R Rao had taken several samples from the site to carry out carbon and radio-active dating to explore water.

The river's revival would not only benefit the country in terms of augmentation of the ground water from the paleo-channels in the drought prone areas but also enable the scholars to solve mysteries of the Aryan invansion.

Mythical river flowed off Pehowa Kurukshetra: Archaeologists led by Rajesh Purohit have claimed to have discovered the river bed of the lost Saraswati river at a site known as Bhor Saidan village, 13 km from here on the Pehowa road, The Tribune reported in its recent issue. Geologists and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists, working to track the water channel, termed the reported traces as an “important turn” to understand the river once considered “a mythical water channel.” Purohit, curator of Srikrishna Museum at Kurukshetra, said the discovered site was located on a mound and painted gray ware or the pottery associated with the Mahabharata age could be spotted here. Bhor Saidan village was named after Kaurava hero, Bhurisrava, son of Somadutta, whose name also figures in the Bhagavad Gita, he explains.

A crocodile park is still there along with the Bhurisrava ‘tirth’ here that confirms a water source around the mound where the village is located. “It has also been confirmed from the palaeo channel (a buried channel) beneath here which is evident from the official map of the Survey of India,” Purohit said.

Dr AK Gupta, senior scientist at the Jodhpur Regional Centre of ISRO, confirmed the discovery. He said the new findings would add a new dimension to the Saraswati work. He said this discovery would throw light on human habitation and their culture on the banks of Saraswati. Associated with the project, Dr Gupta here clarified that it was yet to be ascertained if the Saraswati flowing from Haryana was similar to that of the Vedic Age. Dr AR Chaudhri, reader in the Department of Geology, KU, and working to track Saraswati on behalf of the ONGC, sees the site as “path breaking” in locating the track of the lost river.

http://www.spatialindia.com/news_roundup4.html

ONGC wants to dig deep to end state’s water woes Vishal Joshi, Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, December 23, 2006

Aimed at exploring deep untapped sources of fresh water in the state, the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) has started laboratory tests to ascertain the area that can be drilled for water at Bhor Saidan village near here.

Incidentally, the village is the place where archeologists have claimed to discover the riverbed of now-extinct Saraswati.

After successfully drilling India's deepest fresh-water well at a depth of about 500-m below the ground-level near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan last month, the ONGC has now started looking for similar possibilities in Haryana, which is facing a severe problem due to the excessive utilisation of underground water.

Talking exclusively to this correspondent after his visit to the archeological site here today, Dr M.R. Rao, Coordinator of the Project Saraswati of the ONGC, said the work on drilling would commence within next two months.

Dr Rao, working as the GM, ONGC, Dehra Dun, is a geologist. He said the project to tap the deep underground water was taken by the ONGC as a part of its social responsibility.

He added that the ONGC consultant, Dr A.R. Chaudhri, had taken several samples from Bhor Saidan site to carry out carbon dating and radioactive dating from the spot to explore the water possibility.

Dr Chaudhri informed that the laboratory test report was likely to come within next two weeks.

The Tribune had firstly highlighted the claim of the archeologists, Rajesh Purohit and Rajender Singh Rana, relating to the discovery of the riverbed of Saraswati, the river once considered to be mythical.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20061224/haryana.htm#3

New Light On SaraswatiMythical river flowed off PehowaVishal Joshi, Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, December 13, 2006

Archaeologists led by Mr Rajesh Purohit has claimed having discovered the riverbed of the lost Saraswati river at a site known as Bhor Saidan village, 13 km from here on the Pehowa road.

Geologists and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists working to track the water channel termed the reported traces as “important turn” to understand the river once considered “a mythical water channel.”

Mr Purohit, curator of Srikrishna Museum at Kurukshetra said the discovered site was located on a mound and painted gray ware or the pottery associated with the Mahabharata age could be spotted here.

Bhor Saidan village was named after Kaurava hero Bhurisrava, son of Somadutta, whose name also figures in the Bhagavad Gita, he informs.

A crocodile park is still there along with the Bhurisrava ‘tirth’, here that confirms a water source around the mound where the village is located.

Excavation of the site and the riverbed of the lost river is considered ideal site for the study of Saraswati as the palaeo channels can be seen by naked eyes, informs Mr Rajender Singh Rana, guide lecturer at Srikrishna Museum.

Dr A K.Gupta, senior scientist at the Jodhpur Regional Centre of ISRO, confirmed the discovery. He said the new findings would add new dimension to the Saraswati work.

He said this discovery would throw light on human habitation and their culture on the bank of Saraswati.

Associated with the project, Dr Gupta here clarified it was yet to be ascertained if the Saraswati flowing from Haryana was similar to that of the Vedic Age.

It may also unravel the mystery of the lost Saraswati, mound encompasses a multicultural deposit of human habitation starting from the Painted Grey Ware culture dating back to 11th or 12th century BC up to the Mughal period, said Mr Purohit.

“It has been confirmed from the palaeo channel (a buried channel) beneath here which is evident from the official map of Survey of India,” he added.

Dr A.R. Chaudhri, reader in the Department of Geology, KU and working to track Saraswati on behalf of the ONGC sees the site as “path breaking” in locating the track of the lost river.

Mr Purohit said a satellite images taken of the palaeo channels, buried rivers, old alluvial soils etc which shows the channel below the village here from where for the first time in the history river beds containing huge amount of sand with mica have been found at a depth of 30 feet in a rain gulley.

Here is a note from Prem Kaidi providing a textual evidence equating Ghaggar with River Sarasvati:

[quote] According to Kangrikarchak (Kailasha Purana : see Kailash Manasarovar- Swami Pranavanand) the Sindhu Saraswsati in Vaidik time is River Karnali( Later called river Surju/Surya & now in India called Ghaghara the name mentioned in Rigveda). [unquote]

Prem Kaidi (7 Feb. 2008)

The Indus Water Treaty

Subrahmanyam Sridhar

Executive Summary

Recent stresses and strains in the observance of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) [1] have had many analysts including this author believe that water sharing will take a politically charged dynamic and may even replace Kashmir as the primary source of conflict between India and Pakistan. Therefore it is important to have comprehensive understanding of the overall issues of the Indus system of rivers and the IWT as this article attempts to provide. It is formatted introduce the Indus river system, a brief overview of the principles of water sharing, the historical background leading up to the water crisis between India and Pakistan and the mediation by the World Bank, various provisions of the IWT, current disputes in water projects on the Indus River System bilaterally between India and Pakistan, and a look into the state of affairs of the Indus River System within Pakistan today.Contents Introduction The Indus River System The Indus Tributaries The Indus Water Treaty Current Issues on Indus Water Sharing Conclusions References and Footnotes

Introduction

The 3rd World Water Forum held at Kyoto , Japan in March 2003 sent simultaneous messages of hope and distress regarding the availability of water to meet surging worldwide demand in the coming decades. Its significance is especially serious in the Indian subcontinent, a region that is home to one-fourth of humanity and to three of the mightiest rivers of the world: the Indus , Ganges and Brahmaputra . Although these rivers have been subject to significant water sharing treaties among the various riparian states in the past, currently four major treaties govern them. These include the Indus Water Treaty (1960) between India and Pakistan , Sankosh Multipurpose Project treaty (1993) between India and Bhutan , the Ganges Water Sharing Agreement (1996) between India and Bangladesh , and the Mahakali Treaty (1996) between India and Nepal .

Recent stresses and strains in the observance of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) [1] have had many analysts including this author believe that water sharing will take a politically charged dynamic and may even replace Kashmir as the primary source of conflict between India and Pakistan. Therefore it is important to have comprehensive understanding of the overall issues of the Indus system of rivers and the IWT as this article attempts to provide. It is formatted introduce the Indus river system, a brief overview of the principles of water sharing, the historical background leading up to the water crisis between India and Pakistan and the mediation by the World Bank, various provisions of the IWT, current disputes in water projects on the Indus River System bilaterally between India and Pakistan, and a look into the state of affairs of the Indus River System within Pakistan today.

The Indus River System

The northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent is dominated by the Indus River and its system of upper tributaries (collectively referred to as Indus River System in this article.) Originating 17,000 feet (518 m) above sea level in a spring near Lake Manasarovar at Mt. Kailash [i], the Indus river along with the Brahmaputra [ii], Sutlej , and Karnali rivers are fed by massive Tibetan glacial waters to become a mighty river with further feeds from other glacial catchment areas in Karakoram and Zanskar ranges. The Indus then traverses a distance of 1800 miles (2900 km) through Tibet, India, Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), and Pakistan before draining into the Arabian Sea south of Karachi. On its way, it is further enriched by the waters of several tributaries, the most important and discussed in this article are Beas , Sutlej , Ravi , Chenab and Jhelum rivers. The western tributaries of the Indus that include the Swat, Kurram, Gomal, Kohat, Zoab and Kabul are not discussed herein. The river has been variously known as the Sengge[2] or Lion River by the Tibetans[iii], Abbasseen or Father of Rivers by the Pathans of present NWFP Pakistan, and Mitho Dariyo or Sweet River by the denizens of the arid Sindh.

Figure 1: Indus river and its tributaries with in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Courtesy of Panos Institute South Asia

Figure 2: Major tributaries and dams of the Indus river Courtesy of Indian Express

The Indus Tributaries Sutlej : The longest of the five tributaries, the Sutlej originates near Mt. Kailash along with the Indus and runs a course of 964 miles (1550 km) through the Panjal and Siwalik mountain ranges and enters Pakistan through the plains of Indian Punjab. The Husseiniwala Headworks at Ferozepore is located downstream at the merger between of Beas and Sutlej , the closure of which on May 1, 1948 triggered the water crisis that prompted the IWT. These headworks supplied water to the then Princely State of Bikaner through a left-bank canal called Bikaner Canal and the state of Bahawalpur from the right-bank canal called Depalpur Canal . The huge 740 feet (225 m) high Bhakra Dam, which Nehru called “the new temple of resurgent India ,” [11] is also situated on this river. In addition another important headwork located on this Sutlej is Harike that feeds the Sirhind and Rajasthan canals. Within Pakistan , these eastern tributaries of the Indus known as Panjand combine at Mithan Kot.

Chenab : This 675 mile (1086 km) long river originates in the Kulu and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh and is fed by the tributaries Chandra and Bagha as it enters J&K near Kishtwar. After cutting across the Pir Panjal range, it enters the Sialkot district in Pakistan that built the Marala barrage across the river in 1968 with a maximum discharge of 1.1 million cusecs.

Jhelum & Kishenganga (Neelum): The Kishenganga river rises in the mountain complex west of Dras and south of Deosai plateau and is fed by a number of tiny tributaries and merges with Jhelum near Muzaffarabad in PoK. The Jhelum [iv] itself originates in the foothills of Pir Panjal near Verinag and flows through the four major cities of Anantnag, Srinagar , Sopore and Baramulla. Some important tributaries of the Jhelum are Lidar, Sind and Vishav.

Ravi : This 475 mile (764 km) long river rises in Himachal Pradesh and runs a course of 102 miles (164 km) before joining Chenab in Pakistan after flowing past Lahore . The Thien Dam (Ranjit Sagar Dam) is located on this river at the tri-section of Punjab , Himachal Pradesh and J&K States and feeds the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) which irrigates Northwestern Punjab .

Beas : This 290 mile (467 km) long river originates near Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh and flows through Kulu Valley and the Siwalik Range . The Pandoh Dam is situated on this and diverts water to Sutlej through the Beas-Sutlej link.

The original infrastructure built by the British to harness and efficiently distribute the waters of these tributaries with a series of canals, barrages, and headworks has been augmented with construction of dams since independence by both India and Pakistan .

The Indus Water Treaty

The India Independence Act enacted in 1947 by British Parliament and the subsequent British withdrawal from India left the subcontinent partitioned between two independent states marred by demarcation problems along their international boundaries, the peculiar circumstances leading to the division, and the accession of a number of princely states especially that of Jammu & Kashmir straddling India and Pakistan as well as the complex riverine systems of Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra. Of these three rivers, the Indus presented a complicated set of issues stemming from thousands of kilometres of man-made irrigation canals and headworks that regulated the flow of its waters. While all the rivers, except Indus and Sutlej , originated within Kashmir , the headworks located mostly in the Eastern Punjab were awarded to India . Aside from the Punjab Boundary Commission suggestion that the canal-headworks system be treated as a joint venture, a proposition rejected by both countries, it had not deliberated water sharing of Indus River Basin due to a hasty partition that was completed in a mere 73 days. Water sharing issues of Indus River System would later take over a decade to resolve. Further complicating this issue, Pakistan covertly and later overtly sought to grab Jammu & Kashmir for various reasons including the desire to control the waters of these rivers that succeeded in instilling only distrust among Indian minds.

After the Partition, both the nations agreed to a “Standstill Agreement” on Dec. 30, 1947 freezing the existing water turn systems at the two headworks of Madhopur (on the Ravi ) and Ferozepur (on the Sutlej ) until March, 31, 1948 . Any dispute that could not be resolved by the Punjab Partition Committee was to be decided by the Arbitral Tribunal (AT) which had been setup under Section Nine of the Indian Independence Act by the Governor General to sort out difficulties arising over the division of assets. However, on the expiry of the arrangement and after not receiving an encouraging response to a reminder for talks issued by the East Punjab Government on 29th March 1948, and in the absence of a new agreement, the then Indian Punjab Government promptly stopped the water supply through Madhopur on April, 1, 1948. By a coincidence, the Arbitral Tribunal’s term also expired on the same day. In the meanwhile, the AT had accepted India ’s claims regarding seigniorage charges for the waters and ordered payment of the same by Pakistan . At the invitation of East Punjab , the Engineers of the two divided-Punjab States met in Simla on Apr. 15, 1948 and signed two Standstill Agreements [5] regarding the Depalpur Canal and Central Bari Doab Canal to be in effect until Oct. 15, 1948 . The West Punjab Government agreed to pay: (1) seigniorage charges, (2) proportionate maintenance costs, and (3) interest on a proportionate amount of capital. In its defence, the GoI cited such charges levied by the Punjab on the Bikaner state under the British.

However, the West Punjab Govt. refused to ratify the Agreement and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, then Liaqat Ali Khan, called for a meeting. The Finance Minister of Pakistan , Ghulam Mohammed, along with the Pakistani Punjab ministers, Shaukat Hayat Khan and Mumtaz Daulatana visited Delhi to work out an agreement [4] in the Inter-Dominion Conference held on May, 3-4, 1948. India agreed to resume release of water from the headworks, but made it clear that Pakistan could not lay claim to these waters as a matter of right and would levy seigniorage charges specified by the Prime Minister of India to be deposited in Reserve Bank of India , establishing Indian sovereignty over these rivers. The Indian side also made assurances that the waters would be diminished slowly giving enough time for West Punjab to develop alternate sources. The West Punjab Government, for its part, also recognized “the natural anxiety of the East Punjab Government to discharge the obligations to develop areas where water is scarce and which were underdeveloped in relation to parts of West Punjab .” Soon the Pakistani Government falsely accused that they were coerced into signing this Agreement and made futile appeals to the Governor General Lord Mountbatten. However, due to the hostilities between India and Pakistan on account of Kashmir and in the general environment of distrust and animosity, no further talks took place. Pakistan ’s suggestion in June 1949 to take the matter to the International Court of Justice at The Hague and widen the conflict across all rivers, was rejected by India . On November 1, 1949 , Pakistan unilaterally invalidated the Delhi Agreement and by July, 1950 stopped seigniorage payments into RBI. However, India continued to abide by the Agreement and supplied waters.

In 1951, David Lilienthal, former chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority and a former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, USA visited the two countries ostensibly to write a series of articles for the Colliers magazine (since defunct). Having had access to both the Governments at the highest level, Lilientahl wrote in one of his articles, “I proposed that India and Pakistan work out a program jointly to develop and jointly to operate the Indus Basin river system, upon which both nations were dependent for irrigation water. With new dams and irrigation canals, the Indus and its tributaries could be made to yield the additional water each country needed for increased food production. In the article I had suggested that the World Bank might use its good offices to bring the parties to agreement, and help in the financing of an Indus Development program.” Inspired by this idea, Eugene R. Black, then President of the World Bank visited the two countries and proposed a Working Party of Indian, Pakistani and World Bank engineers to tackle the “functional”, rather than the “political” aspects of water sharing. The two countries accepted this mediation [5] (which also had the backing of President Truman who wanted to remove the “kind of unfriendliness” that existed then between the US and India ) offer in March 1952 and sent their technical teams to Washington for further discussions. Subsequent meetings took place in Karachi in Nov., 1952 and New Delhi in Jan. 1953. The World Bank suggested that each side submit its own plans, which they did on Oct. 6, 1953 . The two plans, while concurring on the available supply of water, differed widely on allocations. [6] The table below, shows the initial, negotiated and final positions of both the countries.

Table 1: Indus River System Estimates and Allocations

Plan India Pakistan

Initial Estimate 119 MAF 118 MAF[v]

Initial Indian 29 MAF 90 MAF

Initial Pakistani 15.5 MAF 102.5 MAF

Revised Indian All of the Eastern rivers + 7% of Western rivers None of the Eastern rivers plus 93% of the Western rivers

Revised Pakistani 30% of Eastern rivers and none of the Western rivers 70% of the Eastern rivers + all of the Western rivers

World Bank Entire flow of the Eastern Rivers Entire flow of the Western Rivers

However, despite all efforts, the wide gaps in the stands of the two countries could not be bridged, mainly due to the intransigence of the Pakistani side as the revised and final allocations show clearly above. The World Bank felt that an ideal approach to joint development of an integrated plan for Indus Basin as proposed by David Lilienthal was now impossible. In order to resolve the dispute, it finally stepped in with its own “settlement” proposals on Feb. 5, 1954 offering the three Eastern rivers to India and the three Western rivers to Pakistan . India accepted the proposal in toto on Mar. 25, 1954 while Pakistan gave only a “qualified acceptance” on July 28, 1954 . The settlement offered by the World Bank was closer to the Indian position as it repudiated the claims of Pakistan based on “historic usage”. An angered Pakistan threatened to withdraw from further negotiations. The World Bank proposal was then transformed from a “settlement” to a “basis for further negotiations” and the talks eventually continued for the next six years. [7, 8] In the meanwhile, the two countries signed an Interim Agreement on June 21, 1955 . As no conclusive agreement could be reached, the World Bank announced on Apr. 30, 1956 that the negotiation deadline has been indefinitely extended. [9] As is its wont, Pakistan , through its then Prime Minister H.S.Suhrawardy, issued a direct threat of war with India over waters, escalating tensions.

Under the World Bank plan, Pakistan was asked to construct barrages and canals to divert the Western river waters to compensate the loss of Eastern rivers on the Pakistani side. During the period needed to do this, called the Transition Period, India was required to maintain the “historic withdrawals” to Pakistan The World Bank then suggested a “financial liability” for India as replacement costs by Pakistan for the loss of the three Eastern rivers. In the 1958 meeting, the replacement works and the financial liability to India were considered. India rejected Pakistan ’s proposal, known as the “London Plan”, for two large dams on the Jhelum and the Indus and three smaller ones on Ravi and Sutlej and several canals, all in all totaling USD 1.2 Billion. India ’s alternate proposal, known as the “Marhu Tunnel Proposal”, was unacceptable to Pakistan as leaving too much leverage on water flows in Indian hands. In May, 1959, the Bank’s President visited both countries and suggested a way out which involved India paying a fixed amount of £ 62.060 Million to be paid in ten years in equal installments and the Bank assisting Pakistan with help from donor countries. The international consortium of donors pledged USD 900 Million for Pakistan and the drafting of the IWT began in Aug., 1959.

The treaty was signed in Karachi by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Field Marshal Ayub Khan H.P., H.J. and Mr. W.A.B. Illif, President of the World Bank in a five-day summit meet starting Sep. 19, 1960 . However, it was deemed effective from Apr. 1, 1960 . The two governments ratified the same in January 1961 by exchanging documents in Delhi . Simultaneously an Indus Basin Development Fund was established with contributions from Australia , Canada , Germany , New Zealand , the UK and the US along with India ’s share of the cost. The Eisenhower Administration contributed roughly half the cost of the Fund, while the World Bank provided US$ 250 Million and the other donor countries together provided a similar amount. The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) of Pakistan was entrusted with the task of completing these tasks. The fund was subsequently extinguished after the completion of the projects as per Article XI of the IWT. The May 4, 1948 accord stood annulled after the signing of IWT. The Indus Basin Project involved construction of two large dams, five barrages, one siphon and seven link canals as detailed below in Tables 2, 3,& 4, to transfer 14 MAF of water from the Western rivers. [10] There are three systems of link canals. Two of the systems, the Rasul-Qadirabad-Balloki-Suleimanki System (R.Q.B.S.) and the Trimmu-Sidhnai-Mailsi-Bahawal System (T.S.M.B) connect the Jhelum River through to the Sutlej and the third system Chashma-Jhelum System (C.J) connects the Indus with the Jhelum .

Table 2: Engineering Construction Work in Pakistan as part of IWT - Canals

The IWT consists of a Preamble, twelve articles delineating the rights and obligations of both countries, including mechanisms to deal with disputes, and various Annexure. These are as follows:

Table 6 : Articles & Annexure of IWT

Article I Definitions

Article II Provisions Regarding Eastern Rivers

Article III Provisions Regarding Western Rivers

Article IV Provisions Regarding Eastern Rivers and Western Rivers

Article V Financial Provisions

Article VI Exchange of Data

Article VII Future Cooperation

Article VIII Permanent Indus Commission

Article IX Settlement of Differences and Disputes

Article X Emergency Provisions

Article XI General Provisions

Article XII Final Provisions

Annexure A Exchange of Notes between Government of India and Government of Pakistan

Annexure B Agricultural Use by Pakistan from Certain Tributaries of the Ravi

Annexure C Agricultural Use by India from the Western Rivers

Annexure D Generation of Hydroelectric Power by India on the Western Rivers

Annexure E Storage of Waters by India on the Western Rivers

Annexure F Neutral Expert

Annexure G Court of Arbitration

Annexure H Transitional Arrangements

Of the above, Annexure H is no longer valid as the Transition Period, during which Pakistan was required to make alternate arrangements for the loss of waters of the Eastern rivers, has long since expired.

The treaty allocated the three Eastern rivers (Ravi-Beas, Sutlej ) to India and the three Western rivers Indus , Jhelum and Chenab largely to Pakistan . The Treaty permits India to draw water from the Western rivers for irrigation of 642,000 Acres that existed on the date of the treaty and in addition an entitlement to irrigate an Irrigated Cropped Area (ICA)[vi] of 701,000 acres. The break-up (in Acres) on the various Western rivers is as follows:

Table 7: India 's Irrigation Entitlement on Western Rivers

The Indus Jhelum Chenab Total

70,000 400,000 231,000 701,000

As for storage, the following are the allocations to India :

Table 8 : India 's Entitlement for "other" Storages

River Name General Storage (MAF) Power Storage (MAF) Flood Storage (MAF)

Indus 0.25 0.15 Nil

Jhelum (Excluding Jhelum Main ) 0.50 0.25 0.75

Jhelum Main Nil Nil As in Paragraph 9, Annexure E

Chenab (Excluding Chenab Main ) 0.50 0.60 Nil

Chenab Main Nil 0.60 Nil

There are some caveats to the above storage allocations as follows:

· General storage means any purpose including generation of electricity

· Power storage water may also be used for non-consumptive or domestic use except flood control or protection

· The power storage capacity on Chenab may be increased by decreasing corresponding amounts in Jhelum , and/or Chenab Main.

The IWT also enunciated a mechanism to exchange regularly flow-data of rivers, canals and streams. A Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) was constituted, headed by two Commissioners, one from each country. The PIC is expected to meet at least once a year alternately in India and Pakistan and submit an annual report to their respective Governments before June, 30th every year. So far, the Commission has met 92 times. The IWT also sets out the procedures for settlement of differences and disputes both bilaterally and through International arbitration. Given below is an abridged version of the dispute settlement process that may be of interest in the present context:

A. Any question that might be a breach of IWT shall be first examined by the PIC.

B. A difference is deemed to have arisen if the PIC could not reach an agreement.

C. The difference shall be dealt with by a neutral expert who may opine if it is a dispute or not. If not, he shall resolve it. Such a neutral expert shall be a highly qualified engineer and appointed by the two Governments in consultation, or failing which, by the Bank. Such a neutral expert can deal with any of the questions mentioned in Part-I of Annexure-F. The expert’s decision is final and binding.

D. In case of a dispute, the Commissioners report to their respective Governments which shall then strive to resolve the dispute.

E. A Court of Arbitration shall be setup to resolve the dispute, if no decision is reached by the above process.

F. Such a Court will consist of seven members, two from each party and three including a Chairman from a panel to be chosen by the two Governments. If no consensus on names can be arrived at, the IWT has given a list of persons from whom to choose such as the Secretary General of the U.N. or International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for the Chairmanship and the President of M.I.T., Cambridge, the Rector of Imperial College, London, the Chief Justice of the USA, or the Lord Chief Justice of England for panel membership.

Many Pakistanis feel that Pakistan surrendered to India the waters of the three Eastern rivers in 1960. Their argument is along the following lines. On the basis of over fifty years' record the mean flow in Indus River System (IRS) totalled 175 MAF on the eve of Partition of Punjab in 1947. This comprised of 93 MAF including 27 of Kabul for Indus, 23 for Jhelum, 26 for Chenab, 6 for Ravi, 13 for Beas and 14 for Sutlej annually. Out of this 175 MAF, 167 flowed into Pakistan at the time the boundaries of partitioned Punjab were fixed according to the Radcliffe Award . This means that the Indian East Punjab drew only 8 MAF of a total of 33 MAF of water that annually flowed in three eastern rivers Ravi , Beas and Sutlej . Under the Internationally agreed rights of lower riparian states and also Indian Independence Act 1947, the balance 25 MAF waters of three eastern rivers were to be shared between India and Pakistan . [12] The Pakistanis feel that those who negotiated the IWT on their behalf did not sufficiently press for the sharing of this quantum of water.

However, there are several fallacies in these arguments. First, leaving the claim on the quantum of waters aside, the arrangement entered into at Partition time was interim in nature until a final agreement could be reached and the provisions of such an interim arrangement were in no way binding on the parties concerned. Secondly, the Indus Agreement was reached eventually in 1960 during that time the utilization of the waters of these rivers had grown enormously in the states of East Punjab , Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir. To claim the waters on the basis of the flow thirteen years before, when agriculture and economy had been dictated by different circumstances of a united India is patently unfair. In fact, the IWT itself treats water flows and usage based on the situation existing as on Apr. 1, 1960 , the effective date of the Treaty. Thirdly, as a lower riparian state, all the unused river waters would naturally flow to Pakistan . This, by itself, cannot bestow any rights on that country and again, a quantum of 80 MAF of water was reaching the Arabian Sea unutilized out of the total flow of the Indus River systems. [13, 14] All these are summarized by the following statement of N.D.Gulhati, the principal negotiator from the Indian side to the IWT, “After ten years of hard and devoted work, we had secured almost a world-wide recognition of our claim to use in India all the waters of the Eastern Rivers, including the 12 MAF which was actually being let down for use in Pakistan as at the time of partition... In India , we had already allocated all these waters, including the 12 MAF referred to above, between Punjab (including the present Haryana), Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir . The scope of the Bhakra-Nangal project had been considerably increased, the Madhopur-Beas Link and the Sirhind Feeder had been completed and opened for operation, several new channels had been built on the Upper Bari Doab Canal and the Rajasthan Canal was under construction." [15]

There are a host of factors external to Pakistan that could also affect the Indus River System. One is the climatic changes leading to reduced flows on the Indus per se. Another exogenous factor is the growing demand within India, especially the state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) where people feel that the IWT has wrongfully deprived them of water resulting retarding the growth of agriculture, power generation, and irrigation from rivers that originate and flow from their very state. There was also a widespread demand within India for abrogation of the IWT after the attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001 by terrorists supported directly by the Pakistani state apparatus.

The Tulbul Navigation Lock/Wullar Barrage Issue The 74 Sq. Km. Wullar Lake (original size 202 Sq. Kms.) is the largest freshwater lake in India and is situated on the Jhelum and supplies 40% of J&K’s fish catch. The stretch of 22 Km between Sopore and Baramulla becomes non-navigable during the lean winter season with a water depth of only 2.5 ft. It is only in spring that rainfall causes the snow to melt at higher elevations on the surrounding mountains and causes floods. [16] In order to improve navigation, India started constructing in 1985, a barrage 439 feet long and with a lock, at the mouth of the lake to raise the flow of water in winter to 4000 cusecs with a depth of 4 ft with an added storage of 0.3 MAF. Pakistan objected to this project and construction was halted in 1987. Pakistan’s objection [17,18] stems from two issues, one India needs to get concurrence of the design from Pakistan and two, it cannot store waters as per IWT on the Jhelum Main anything in excess of 0.01 MAF as “incidental storage work” (Paragraph 8(h) in Annexure E of IWT). Pakistan ’s real objections may be due to its fear that such a barrage may damage its own Triple-Canal project linking Jhelum and Chenab with the Upper Bari Doab Canal . Pakistan also says that such a barrage would be a security risk enabling the Indian Army to make the crossing of the river either easy or difficult through controlled release of water. India ’s argument [19] is that such a barrage would not reduce the quantum of water flow and it would also be beneficial to Pakistan by regulating water flow to Mangla Dam by controlling floods and also improve the Pakistani Triple-canal irrigation system. The water flow would indeed double during the lean winter period from the current 2000 cusecs. Also, the project does not envisage building any new storage capacity as the Wullar lake already existed and the water is only for non-consumptive use (this term includes such usage as navigation, floating of timber, flood protection or control, and fishing with no diminution in volume of water returned to the river/tributaries after use) which is allowed by the IWT. The Wullar barrage is not a storage project but a control project permissible under the treaty. The two countries had indeed reached an agreement in October, 1991 but then Pakistan suddenly introduced an irrelevant element in February, 1992 by linking the termination of Kishenganga Hydroelectric project with further movements in the Tulbul Navigation Lock project and India ’s refusal stalled further work. The 1991 draft agreement stipulated that India would build a 40-feet wide lock but leave ungated 6.2 Metres of the lake at a crest level of 1574.9 Metres and would also forego 0.30MAF storage while Pakistan would allow the lake to fill to its full capacity at 1578 metres. When the agreement was reached in 1991, the only contention that remained was the timing of the filling up of the lake. The crucial period was between June 21 and August 20 every year. Between October, 1987, and August, 1992, experts from the two countries met eight times to settle the issue. The matter was taken up during the Foreign Secretary-level talks between 1990 and 1994 also. The ninth round was held in July, 2004.

The Salal Hydroelectric ProjectThis was the first major dispute successfully resolved bilaterally under IWT. On April 14, 1978 , the governments of India and Pakistan entered into a treaty on the Salal project. The Salal hydroelectric project on the Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir was negotiated by the Janata Party government in India and the Bhutto administration in Pakistan and has not been disputed by subsequent governments in Pakistan . The negotiations and discussions took place for a period of four years between 1974 and 1978 between the Indus Commissioners and the foreign offices. The project provides waters to Pakistan in a regulated manner but involves no diversion by India . However, Pakistan successfully objected to the building of the anti-siltation sluice gates, which were six low-level outlets normally used for controlling sedimentation, resulting in decreased power generation capacity of this project. India also agreed to reduce the heights of the spillway gates from 40 feet to 30 feet.

The Ranbir and Pratap Canals The Ranbir Canal , built in 1870, was intended to feed the areas of Miran Sahib, Vijaypur and Madhopur. Poor maintenance has ensured that it can now carry just 300 cubic feet per second of water, rather than the 1,000 cusecs it was designed for when originally built. The Pratap Canal , meant to meet the needs of the Akhnoor-Sunderbani belt, has also silted up. [20] These canals off take from Chenab between Salal and Marala headworks. These two canals need urgent repair work to restore their earlier capacities. Under the treaty, India is allowed to take out a fixed quantity of water for these channels. Many restrictions, such as quantum and dates of withdrawal have been imposed on India by the IWT.

The Kishenganga Project [21]

India started the 330 MW Kishenganga hydroelectric projects across River Kishenganga after protracted negotiations between the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the Defence Ministry, and the environmentalists who fear the loss of the serene Gurez valley. The project involves a 103 metre dam across the river before it crosses the Line of Control (LoC) and a channel and a 27 Km long tunnel through the North Kashmir ranges to bring the water to the Wullar lake where a hydroelectric power station will be built as part of an integrated project. The Kashmir Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah signed an MoU with the Union Power Minister in July, 2000 for the project. The National Hydroelectric Power Corp. (NHPC) was entrusted with this project on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis. The CEA cleared the project only in June, 2004.

Figure 8 Courtesy: K.E.W.A ( Kashmir Environmental Watch Association)

Pakistan objects to the Kishenganga project fearing an adverse impact on its envisaged 969-MW Neelum- Jhelum power plant to be constructed with Chinese assistance. This project was initially planned for 1994-1997 but lies dormant because of lack of funds. The Indian Kishenganga project is expected to lead to a shortfall of 21% loss of water flow in Neelum resulting in a 9% reduction in power for the Pakistani project. [22] The IWT allows India to store waters on Neelum for power generation and so Pakistan wants to start its project first in order to deny waters to India claiming the principle of “prior appropriation”, per Paragraph 15(iii), Part-3, Annexure-D which states “where a Plant is located on a Tributary of The Jhelum on which Pakistan has any Agricultural use or hydroelectric use, the water released below the Plant may be delivered, if necessary, into another Tributary but only to the extent existing Agricultural Use or hydroelectric use by Pakistan on the former Tributary would not be adversely affected”.

India also claims that the waters will ultimately reach Pakistan through Jhelum though not through Kishenganga (Neelum). In the meanwhile, Pakistan has felt the urgency to take up its USD 1.6 Billion Neelum –Jhelum Hydropower Project by appointing a private company, NESPAK, as consultants and complete the international bidding and evaluation by April 2005.

The Baglihar Project

Figure 9 Baglihar Project Courtesy: Lahmeyer International Gmbh

This project, currently under construction by the Jammu & Kashmir Power Development Corp. on the Chenab in Doda Distt , will generate 450 MW of power when commissioned by end-December, 2005. The contract was extended in 2002 to raise the capacity to 900 MW by Dec., 2007. Pakistan claims that this dam will result in a loss of 7000-8000 cusecs of water a day during the rabi season. India has assured Pakistan that the quantum of water will not be diminished in any way. Pakistan disputes India ’s contention that this is a run-of-river[vii] project and the site is unsuitable for an ungated spillway. The works involve the construction of a “Pondage” of 15 Million Cubic Metre (IWT allows for ‘Pondage’, a term meaning Live Storage, of only sufficient magnitude to meet fluctuations in the discharge of the turbines arising from variations in the daily and the weekly loads of the plant) capacity and an underground power station. Pakistan claims that the submerged gate spillways of this 429-feet high 1046-feet long dam, allow India to increase the reservoir’s storage capacity to 164,000 acre feet and the ability to stop water for about 26 days during December, January and February affecting canals taking off Marala headworks. The IWT specifies the following with respect to gated spillways, “If the conditions at the site of a plant make a gated spillway necessary, the bottom level of the gates in normal closed position shall be located at the highest level consistent with sound and economical design and satisfactory construction and operation of the works” (Part-3, Annexure-D of IWT). This project, Pakistan believes, could also lead to inundation of Bajwat Area above Marala headworks due to sudden synchronized releases from Dulhasti, Baglihar and Salal reservoirs on Chenab . Pakistan also claims that India adopted a stonewalling tactics by not allowing the Permanent Indus Commission members of Pakistan from visiting the dam site for four years after having been officially informed of the project in 1998, little recognizing that the 1999 Kargil conflict and the general mobilization of Indian troops as part of Op. Parakram following the Dec. 13, 2001 Parliament attack, both events of Pakistan’s own making, prevented such site visits. In fact, India suspended the site visit on Dec. 24, 2001 following the decision to mobilize troops. Pakistan also contests that it was informed only in 1998 about the Bagilhar project, though the GoI had informed Pakistan as early as 1992. The Pakistani Commissioner of the Permanent Indus Commission had recommended to his government to appoint a neutral expert in Feb. 2003 and accordingly Pakistan claims to have served two notices to GoI in May and November of the same year. Following the February meeting, India allowed a visit by Pakistani experts to the Baglihar project site in October. The Pakistani Commissioner is reported to have made the same recommendation to his Government in January 2004 after another round of PIC meeting. On December 15, 2004 , India supplied Pakistan with more data on the project as a goodwill gesture and rejected Pakistan ’s claims of violation of IWT. However, Pakistan rebuffed India ’s explanations, refused India one week time to study and reply, and decided to discontinue the talks-illustrating Pakistani leadership uncompromising attitude and intransigence. By mid January 2005, Pakistan requested the World Bank to appoint a neutral expert under Article 9(2)(A) of the IWT, claiming one week later that the World Bank chief Mr.Wolfensohn, honored with Pakistan’s highest award of Hilal-e-Pakistan during a visit to that country in early February 2005, had assured Gen. Musharraf that there would be no delay in appointing such an expert. While responding to enquiries from World Bank , India advised the Bank that rather it should allow the suspended bilateral course of action to resume rather than get involved at that stage especially as some convergence of views had appeared in the last round of talks in New Delhi . Meanwhile, Pakistan ’s Minister for Education and former head of the ISI, Javed Ashraf Qazi, warned the Pakistani National Senate that the nation might go to war with India over Baglihar “controversy.”

Embankment on Ravi

Pakistan claims [23] that India has built a 15-Km long embankment (also known as River Training Works, RTWs) on river Ravi in the Narowal sector in 2002, in front of Kot Naina, a village in Shakargarh Distt. Pakistan claims that such a construction “so close to the international border” is violative of both the IWT and the Border Ground Rules, 1961 and has caused flooding on its side. [24] By 2002, Pakistan had also decided to build a similar embankment on its side.

Issues Within Pakistan

The Indus River system, which accounts for 65% of water flow within an arid Pakistan , poses several major challenges to Pakistan today. Pakistan faces both political and non-political problems with respect to The Indus River System.

On the political front, there have been serious differences among the various provinces about sharing of the waters. In Sind, sea water has intruded as much as 54 miles into the estuary of the Indus river due to low or no flow.[25] On the basis of a series of meetings among provinces in March 1991, an agreement, Water Agreement Accord (WAA), [26] was reached on the sharing of the river waters. It stipulated the following allocations

Table 9 Water Allocation among Pakistani Provinces, 1991 (in MAF)

Province Kharif Rabi Total

Punjab 37.07 18.87 55.94

Sindh * 33.94 14.82 48.76

NWFP ** 3.48 2.30 5.78

Civil Canals 1.80 1.20 3.00

Balochistan 2.85 1.02 3.87

* - Including requirements of Karachi

** - Ungauged Civil Canals above the rim stations where measurements can be made

It was also decided to set up in 1992, an “Indus River System Authority” (IRSA), as per provisions of the 1991 Accord, with representation from all four provinces. However, actual water allocations have been made on the basis of “historic use” rather than on the 1991 settlement leading to more resentment in Sindh.

The climatic changes due to global warming have led to depleting flow in all Indus River system of rivers, especially the Indus , which depends on glacial runoffs for 90% of its waters. Generally, the Himalayan rivers also carry a very heavy sediment load especially during summer and rainy season, which in turn leads to river shifting and silting of dams and barrages. The three largest dams in Pakistan , Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma have already lost ~ 25% of their capacity due to silting [27]. This is a serious problem in a country which depends on river irrigation, rather than the monsoon rains, for 74% of its total cultivated land. It is generally agreed that 40% of all the water drawn through the canals at barrage heads is lost because of seepage due to un-lined and porous beds and banks of the canals. [28] Such problems exacerbate the already poor yield of the crops [29, 30] In addition, there is excessive system-loss of water due to improper and antiquated agricultural techniques and heavy cropping of water-intensive varieties like sugarcane and rice. While reeling under increasing drought for the last six years, it is also predicted that Pakistan will have a certain level of drought conditions for the next 15 years [31, 32].. Since the dams mostly act as storage reservoirs during Kharif season and draw-down reservoirs during Rabi[viii], there is an acute need within Pakistan for more storage

Figure 10 Indus Basin and Crops Courtesy: National Geographic

There have been widespread protests against the proposed dams of Kalabagh at Mianwali, and Basha at Chilas, Gilgit area and the raising of the Mangla dam in Mirpur. Out of the four provinces of Pakistan , three viz. Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP are against these dams. Even the illegally occupied PoK and Balawaristan oppose the dam projects of Mangla and Basha. The proposed raising of the height of Mangla Dam [33] in Mirpur, PoK, by another 40 feet, will further submerge that district. It is also possible that if India exercises its rights to store 1.5 MAF on Jhelum , the raised Mangla Dam will not fill up. The crux of the matter is the lack of agreement among provinces on the total water availability within the country.

Meanwhile, the dwindling flows of water and siltation have led to reduced power generation from the hydroelectric plants that are part of the Indus River System.. There is a real possibility of shutting down power generation permanently at Tarbela, leaving it for irrigation purposes only. [34]

Figure 1 1 Courtesy: WAPDA

The dams, barrages and canals built to satisfy the increasing demands of water upstream have made water scarce in the Indus at the estuaries of the Arabian Sea causing the sea to push in and increase the salinity in 1.2 Million acres of farmlands.[36] The discharge of freshwater from the Indus into the Arabian Sea has declined steadily from 85 MAF in the 1940s to about 10 MAF in the 90s and probably less today. Pakistan also uses the waters of the Indus rivers for another purpose, fortification of its defences along Indian borders. It has built a series of “defence canals” at strategic locations which are flooded at times of wars and tensions to prevent crossing by Indian armour and artillery. In 2002, after India mobilized its forces as part of Operation Parakram , Pakistan diverted waters to these “defence canals” accentuating the then already severe water shortage of 50% to over 70%.[38] [39][40]

The Indus remains important to both India and Pakistan in another less visible way. The extension of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) beyond the 200 nautical mile (nm) limit from coastal baseline depends on the ability to prove the sedimentation of the Indus river into the sea and has to be claimed before May, 2009 The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS-III) protocol [37] allows the EEZ to be extended under several conditions. In places like the sedimentary basin of the Indus river, the sediment thickness of the rivers beyond the foot of the continental slope can be used to establish the outer limit of the continental shelf of a claimant. This requires baseline and bathymetry survey data. A crucial part of the claim is the delineation of the Territorial Sea Baseline (TSB) which is the set of coordinate points that define the line from which the seaward boundaries are to be measured. The continuing Pakistani wrangle with regards to Sir Creek has delayed the compilation and validation of the TSB thereby delaying the computation of the zone boundaries. This is important for India in view of the potential it has for national security, energy prospecting, mining, laying pipelines etc.

Conclusions

Pakistan faces one of the severest water shortages in the world as seen in its’ per capita availability of water per annum fall from 5300 m3 in 1951 to less than 1100 m3 today. This figure is alarming given that it is below the internationally recommended level of 1500 m3 and precariously close to the critical 1000 m3 level. Compounded with the failure to fill the country’s two largest reservoirs to capacity, declining flows in the Indus River System, elusive and contentious the inter-provincial water accord due to mutual suspicions among provinces, and an unsustainable population growth rate of 2% do not bode well for Pakistan’s water situation. Disagreements on construction of new reservoirs, declining groundwater potential[ix], and growing number of disputes with India after a relatively uneventful period of 44 years of water sharing will further complicate matters. In summation, the water situation in Pakistan (a country whose landscape is largely arid to semi-arid) is truly disastrous in spite of the Indus , its tributaries, and a treaty with generous concessions that has been implemented faithfully by upper riparian India to date in spite of grave provocations. Pakistani farmers may be forced to change to higher yielding earlier maturating crops, modify their sowing patterns, and employ micro irrigation in coming years to mitigate shortages-all of which will entail higher costs. Its frivolous objections to Indian projects and a general unwillingness to engage India constructively are partly to force India to amend the IWT to accommodate the emerging patterns of water use in Pakistan , such as water sharing during periods of shortage-a situation not envisaged in the treaty.

References and Footnotes

1. No. 6032. The INDUS WATERS TREATY 1960 between THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA , THE GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN AND THE INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT.

[iii] Tibetan mythology has it that Indus pours out of the mouth of a snow-lion.

[iv] Vyeth in Kashmiri

[v] 1 MAF = 43560 Cubic Feet or 0.274430 Million Gallons of water

[vi] ICA means the total area under irrigated crops in a year, the same area being counted twice if it bears different crops in kharif and rabi.

[vii] means that in any period of 7 consecutive days, the volume of water delivered downstream should equal the volume of water received upstream with a few minor restrictions and allowances.

[viii] Kharif sowing period is April thru’ August, Kharif maturing and Rabi sowing period is September to mid-December and Rabi maturing period is mid-December thru’ March.

[ix] WAPDA estimates that the total groundwater potential is 26 MAF, out of which 20 MAF is non-usable saline water.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/SRR/Volume13/sridhar.html

Rebirth of River Sarasvati in Rajasthan

Indira Gandhi Nahar Project (IGNP) is one of the most gigantic projects in the world aiming to dedesertify and transform desert waste land into agriculturally productive area. The project objectives include drought proofing, providing drinking water, improvement of environment, afforestation, employment, rehabilitation, development and projection of animal wealth and increasing agricultural produce.The project construction commenced in the year 1958. Though the project is only partially complete it has shown remarkable success.

Indira Gandhi Nahar Project was designed to utilise 9,367 Mm3/yr of the total 10,608 Mm3/yr allocated to Rajasthan from the surplus waters of the Ravi and Beas rivers. The construction of the project has been divided into two stages.

Stage I

Stage I consists of a 204 km long feeder canal, having a headworks discharge capacity of 460 m3/sec, which starts from Harike Barrage. 170 km of the feeder canal lie in Punjab and Haryana and 34 km in Rajasthan.

The entire system of stage-I consists of the 204 km long feeder canal, 189km long main canal and 3454 km long distribution system, is concrete lined, and serves 553 kha of culturable command area, out of which 46 kha are served by pumping to a 60 m lift, through four pumping stations.

In addition to irrigation and domestic water supply through this project , it has been proposed by the Rajasthan State Electricity Board (RSEB) to install a total of 12.76 MW of mini hydro electric power stations, to utilise the available water fall in the canal. One such power station, with an installed capacity of 2�2 MW has already started functioning at the Suratgarh branch of IGNP stage I.

Stage II

IGNP Stage II comprises construction of a 256 km long main canal and 5,606 km of a lined distribution system, and will serve 1,410 kha of CCA (873577 ha area in flow and 537018 ha under lift), utilising 4,930 Mm3/yr of water. The main canal in the entire length was completed in the year 1986.

Hello Everybody,My name is Mrs Sharon Sim. I live in Singapore and i am a happy woman today? and i told my self that any lender that rescue my family from our poor situation, i will refer any person that is looking for loan to him, he gave me happiness to me and my family, i was in need of a loan of S$250,000.00 to start my life all over as i am a single mother with 3 kids I met this honest and GOD fearing man loan lender that help me with a loan of S$250,000.00 SG. Dollar, he is a GOD fearing man, if you are in need of loan and you will pay back the loan please contact him tell him that is Mrs Sharon, that refer you to him. contact Dr Purva Pius,via email:(urgentloan22@gmail.com) Thank you.

https://tinyurl.com/ybdytm9aSarasvati was a navigable waterway of seafaring merchants upto 2nd millennium BCE; evidence of यज्ञो वै मेधः, मेधा = धन Naigh.ii,10 Yajña is dhanam, wealth.I suggest that more core samples like the Rann of Kutch dhordo core samples taken by MS University geologists should be taken from other selected sites of Rann of Kutch, Binjor, Kalibangan, Rakhigarhi to further refine the dates of the navigable Vedic River Sarasvati from 10k to 3K years. Full text of the brilliant report by MS Univ. geologists
is embedded for ready reference.

The river with over 2000 archaeological sites on the river basin had nurtured a civilization.

River Sarasvati with a basin of over 2000 archaeological sites of the Bronze Age civilization, was a navigable waterway upto 2nd millennium BCE (ca. 1900 BCE) as evidenced by wealth-producing metalwork trade transactions recorded on seals with Indus Script dated from ca. 3300 BCE. Some cultural markers are presented in this note. पोळ pōḷa, &…